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Precious metals moved by the U.S. election: Weekly Gold and Silver Market Recap for Nov 9, 2012

After months of speculation and questions about the political scene in the United States, this week brought forth closure to the subject. Before the votes were counted, many people believed each choice for president would shape the market for gold and other metals. The speculation on which candidate will be elected and what they will bring to the table has been strong today as many have shared their outlook for what it could mean for Gold. Phil Streible, senior commodities broker at RJO Futures offered his comments. To the possibility of President Obama being re-elected, he said we would continue to see, “fiscal irresponsibility, (Federal Reserve Chairman) Ben Bernanke going all the way through [his term], quantitative easing full throttle, weaker dollar.” Streible then speculated on a Mitt Romney victory, saying, “You get Romney and he’s planning on shrinking the government, cutting spending, becoming more fiscally responsible … so you’re probably going to see a stronger dollar, weaker metal on him.” After the votes were counted Wednesday morning gave light to the near future. The Gold price is giving up some early gains it enjoyed after President Barack Obama won a second term in the White House last night. Though the election is over, important issues are far from ending. Next up on the docket is the fiscal cliff at the end of the year. The President is now tasked with reaching a deal with a Republican-held House of Representatives, which is exactly the scenario that proved nearly impossible to solve over the past year or so. One analyst said, “I personally believe this will get sorted, but not after a lot of haggling and negotiating and this will create a lot of uncertainty and volatility in the markets.” By the end of the hectic week, the gold price rose and hit a three week high. There is an expectation that U.S. monetary policy will continue to favor Gold investors. Gold’s safe haven appeal grows when money flows easily into the economy as it does with the quantitative easing programs. Nic Brown, head of commodities research at Natixis said, “An Obama victory enhances the likely longevity of ongoing quantitative easing.” Outside of the U.S., China’s Gold demand is expected to grow 1 percent this year. This would be a record of 860 tons of Gold.

Europe’s financial problems grow:

While the world watched as the United States had an election, Europe continued losing ground in their economic crisis. One of the countries in the spotlight is Greece and this week was no different. In Greece, the parliament is set to vote on budget cuts to help secure loans from lenders. However, the people of Greece are far from pleased with these proposed cuts. Today started a massive walk-out by two of the largest labor unions in the country. The estimated number of protesters was about 16,000, but could grow. The Greek people are not at a loss for words regarding the situation. “The measures are wrong, the politicians and the rich aren’t paying their taxes and the only ones paying are those on 300 and 500 euros a month,” said Dimitris Karavelas 42, who has been forced to shut down his small construction company. The bad news is not just in Greece but, in the entire region. In Europe, the outlook for the next year is far from optimistic. “Europe is going through a difficult process of macroeconomic rebalancing and adjustment which will last for some time still,” European Union Economic and Monetary Commissioner Olli Rehn told reporters in Brussels. The eurozone economy is forecasted to almost completely stop expanding within the next six months. Even Germany, who is the largest economic force in the eurozone, has had their economic forecast cut by more than half in 2013. All of these factors will make it even more difficult to bring the region back to a stable economic situation. While this is bad news for the Europeans, it is not for the precious metal investors. The Gold price has risen today, following the euro’s rise after the European Central Bank (ECB) reaffirmed its intentions to pursue recently adopted monetary policy. Europe is in the spotlight today “with the ECB keeping accommodative policy in place and rates steady,” Jeffrey Wright, a managing director at Global Hunter Securities, said. “ECB policies, much like our own, eventually lead to inflation, which support Gold.” ECB President Mario Draghi announced plans to keep the central bank’s key lending rate at 0.75 percent. “Economic activity in the euro area is expected to remain weak,” Draghi stated as he pronounced a continuance of economic stimulus for the region.